Apricot BBQ Tofu

Recipe of the Week: Tastes Like Chicken Apricot BBQ Tofu

This week’s recipe is adapted from the cookbook Veganomicon. It is NOT a Dr. Fuhrman recipe and is most likely just beyond the limits of his Eat to Live plan.

While I cut out all the oils and changed the soy sauce to tamari, the ingredients that push this recipe over the Eat to Live edge are the molasses and (pure) maple syrup. I’m sure with a little experimenting, the molasses could be substituted with dates, but I haven’t tried that yet.

However, this is a great-tasting recipe that my entire family enjoyed. As Libby happily exclaimed, “It tastes like chicken!”

The Method

While you are working on the glaze, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In your dutch oven (or a saucepan), water saute onions over medium-high heat until browned (7-10 minutes). Add garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to de-glaze the pan. Add the apricots, black pepper, ginger, and coriander. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and let cook for about 10 minutes, until the apricots are mushy.

Uncover and add the molasses, maple syrup, tomato paste, tamari, and liquid smoke. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring often and mashing the apricots to a gelatinous goo.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Transfer to food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth.

Slice your pressed tofu and dredge in tamari, coating both sides. Place slices in a 9 x 18 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the slices and bake for 15 more.

When the tofu is done baking, smother with BBQ sauce and return to oven for 15 more minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with veggie of your choice.

We went with sweet corn, and because of the slightly Asian taste to the glaze, I also roasted some mushrooms to serve as a side. This would be excellent as a sauce for any stir-fry.

For convenience, pre-make the sauce and keep in the fridge until needed.